A Letter of Semicha Handwritten and Signed by Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer – Eisenstadt, 1858

A letter of rabbinical ordination handwritten and signed by R. Azriel Hildesheimer – semicha ("yoreh yoreh yadin yadin") for his disciple R. Meir son of R. Wolf Austerlitz. Eisenstadt, [1858].
R. Azriel's wax seal is imprinted in the margins under his signature.
R. Azriel Hildesheimer (1820-1899), an eminent rabbi, disciple of the author of Aruch LaNer and of R. Yitzchak Berneis of Hamburg. From 1851-1869, served as Rabbi in Eisenstadt, and introduced an innovative yeshiva integrating secular studies with Torah study, following the principle of Torah with Derech Eretz, provoking opposition and criticism both from the Reform Movement and from certain sects of the Orthodox community. Nonetheless, Hungarian and German Torah leaders perceived his greatness and supported his yeshiva. In 1869, he was appointed Rabbi of Berlin, wherein he established the Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary and stood at the helm of German Orthodox Jewry.
The recipient of the semicha, R. Meir HaLevi Austerlitz (died in 1913), officiated as dayan in Eisenstadt. Son of R. Binyamin Ze'ev Wolf HaLevi Austerlitz, dayan in Eisenstadt and son-in-law of R. Yechezkel Moshe Fishman Rabbi of Miskolc.
Double leaf, approx. 34 cm. Good condition. Stains. Folding marks. Tiny tears to margins.